Autism HWB

Scents and Scentsability

Image shows a spider plant and it's shadow on the wall behind

Written by Florence Neville

Firstly, apologies for the title. It gets better from here I promise…

It was May 2018, I was stood in a car park surrounded by a ton of other people, questioning what was I doing here. Lets rewind for a moment. My mother had decided to secretly sign me up for a Couch to 5K running class with a local running club. I was furious, but I went along to see what it was all about.

Creating a Mindful Morning Routine

Image shows a cat on a chair by the window. In the foreground is a table with a vase of flowers and two coffee mugs

Written by Becca Lory Hector

As I walk inside from the side door, dogs in tow, I look to my right and see it. The red light on the coffee maker is still on and I take a deep breath and smile to myself. If today is the kind of day that I can have a second cup, and it is, the coffee left in the pot will still be the perfect temperature. It will be hot, but with just the right amount of creamer, it will cool down just enough to be palatable while still remaining warm enough for the steam to build up in my glasses as I tilt the mug to my mouth for that first sip. This idyllic temperature cannot be replicated by microwave oven nor does it remain for long. Today, the stars have aligned. This morning, my husband has his own stuff to accomplish, leaving me alone to do some computer time that does not include a single meeting with anyone. As I pour that second cup and listen to the sugar dissolve into the dark liquid, I think to myself, today is going to be a particularly good day.

Wellbeing through Weightlifting

Written by Cerys The Chameleon

The stale stench of the changing rooms, lit with furious fluorescent lighting that felt like lasers when I looked at them, mixed with the laughter of my peers ricocheting around my brain, it was a recipe for sensory overwhelm.

Patterns

Image shows a close up of an irregular brick path

Written by Zephyr Penoyre

There is an innate value in patterns and maps, as tools for exploration – of worlds simple or complex, imaginary or realisable, and the porous boundaries between.

Gardening and Recovery

Image shows a long strand of daisy-like flowers

By Mair Elliott

Often seen as an elderly person’s hobby, gardening and it’s benefits to health can often be overlooked. With benefits to physical health, mental health and emotional health, I truly believe we should be discussing its value in holistic care for those with chronic illness, mental illness and disability.

By Kristy Forbes

Joy

Morning joy

I’m always up before the birds and the sun

Always been a morning person

Partly due to a strategy developed in my early twenties

To hit the deck as soon as my eyes opened

In order to avoid falling into the depressive abyss

Scents and Scentsability

Running for Mental Health